In a video message released on Thursday, Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda, PhD, announced the creation of the John and Alix Ankele Endowed Chair in Human Ethics. It provides permanent private funding for a new distinguished professor tasked with developing programming in ethical education.
Donors establish Ohio State Newark’s first endowed chair
The Ohio State University at Newark has secured funding to institute its first-ever endowed chair, a faculty position within the campus’s academic leadership.
This move marks a transformative milestone in the campus’s academic and philanthropic legacy. Endowing this chair positions Ohio State Newark as a regional and national leader in ethical education, fostering programs and scholarship that engage pressing social, environmental and cultural issues.
John and Alix Ankele have engaged with such issues throughout their careers. John, a Newark native, is a documentary filmmaker focused mostly on education and advocacy in the areas of social, economic and environmental justice. Alix has a background in social work. While administrators at Ohio State Newark worked to develop this endowed chair, “they touched on things very dear to our hearts,” Alix said, “and they really stirred our keen interest.”
By acting upon that interest, the Ankeles are ensuring the study of ethics will forever be a facet of the Ohio State Newark experience.
It lends itself to thoughtful classroom discussion where students can agree to respect the thoughts and opinions of others as they clarify and develop their own thinking. That kind of open dialogue leads to understanding, builds trust and community, and ultimately helps us find workable solutions to our problems.
The chair is funded through the generosity of the Ankeles as well as the university’s Endowed Chair Matching Program. Through this initiative, gifts are funded two-thirds by donors and matched one-third by the university.
This is a major investment in the preparation of future leaders for our state. The study of ethics is central to preparing students not just to lead, but to lead with integrity. That is core to our mission at Ohio State.
Though neither Ankele attended the Newark campus, they view it as the ideal proving ground for this kind of ethical education and leadership development. “It seems like a warm-hearted place for learning that all kinds of students find comfortable and encouraging,” Alix said.
Hopefully, establishing this chair will leave a legacy that can continue to grow and nurture a vibrant community. We have been given an opportunity to really contribute to that movement, and it's a big honor to be a founding part of it.